RSAcademics is delighted to have assisted in the appointment of Samantha Price to Cranleigh. Samantha is the current Headmistress of Benenden School, a prominent figure in boarding education and a leading voice of support for young people. A figurehead for girls’ education in particular, last year she was President of the Girls’ Schools Association and listed as one of the UK’s best Headteachers by the Times Educational Supplement.

Samantha will join Cranleigh in September 2024, following a decade at the helm of Benenden, during which time she delivered an ambitious programme of building and development for the school, including the introduction of the Benenden Diploma, and offered places to day girls for the first time.

Her early career spanned boys’ and girls’ schools and coeducational boarding and day schools. She taught History and History of Art at Reading Blue Coat School, was a Housemistress at King’s Canterbury, Deputy Head at Hereford Cathedral School and then Head at both Godolphin and Benenden.

From an outstanding field of candidates provided by the RSAcademics team of Michael Spens, Helen Flower and Michael Stephens, the Cranleigh Governors agreed that Samantha’s vision for education closely aligned with Cranleigh’s ethos of inquiry based, collaborative learning with a focus on future skills and excellence in co-curricular as well as academics.

Samantha will take up her new post in September 2024 and we wish her all success in this latest chapter of her distinguished career.